There were still some moments of madness as he gave away possession too easily in the name of entertainment.

Against better opposition it is unlikely he would have been allowed as much space or have seen as much of the ball, and his sloppy passes might have been punished.

But that is to overlook that sometimes Ronaldo has saved his best for when United needed it most, notably in the semi-final win over Arsenal.

His performance at Villa Park prompted Ferguson to call Ronaldo his "ace".

And against Millwall he combined his match-winning abilities with an increased awareness of when to keep things simple.

He even showed a desire to chase down lost causes, and a willingness to battle to win the ball back not too dissimilar from his predecessor on the right side of midfield.

But comparisons at this early stage to Beckham are unlikely to come out favourable for Ronaldo.

It is an unfair to look at the contribution of a teenager making his first steps in the game and on foreign territory, and contrast it to an established England international who had spent over 10 years with the club.